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Barton's Den

by FAN

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1.
Bob1 03:42
I never thought I'd ever have to let you down One time was all it took I'm tumbling I used to look for someone never around I can't behold the shoes I'm walking in I hope they don't fit Whose bullshit ways, kept us safe No one hail, no one tell the king today If I can't change, no one can, no one will What the hell do I know? what the hell do I know? By now you can never go back, you can never go back
2.
Fire 04:55
I was only looking for myself I was looking for you Could it be that I was someone else How can I convince you? Maybe I can't How can I run too? You never made much sense I was only waiting for my chance I was waiting for you Could it be that we were just a glimpse I could not convince you Maybe this will What is this I feel, can I feel it again? cover up the eyes I know it's coming up I feel it here inside I know it's nothing but emotion
3.
It's been two years that it's on the shelf I see the same kid running and you don't know what to do about it I can't believe, did you ever doubt I've seen the same shit coming up for years did you forget about me I know we're stuck, but it's gonna shift it's just the same wheel turning when you're always looking out from it You're acting tough when you can't be without we're packing up, grab your shit, yeah we're heading out You were caught up and wondering how to get back yeah we could have stayed while the wolves were approaching if I never had you to help me get back I would still be there when the others deserted you
4.
I looked into your fading eyes and wonder how we got here The chance has slipped between us, now I talk to a computer I wait until you've answered over eager conversation I wait to send a message over recent complications I've kept myself entirely waiting in the wings the temperature is rising, can you feel it is resume ourselves to silence, as the end begins can see the shadow hiding, can you feel it win I know the madness in this has a drop in every ocean I wait for you to answer every message every motion I'm with it, I'll get with it I was looking for a new face, what a mistake what a mistake I was hoping for a new chance, what a mistake what a mistake I was looking for a new world, what a mistake what a mistake I was looking for a new place, what a mistake what a mistake I was hoping for a change, it wasn't good enough I was looking for a clue, but you never gave it up I would see when you you're gone, I couldn't act at all I've been kicking to myself, never good enough never good enough
5.
Gorgoroth 03:29
Object permanence nothing is continuous where's my exit plan when you weren't looking it began Tempered influence you are not alone in this maybe we could act when it was shape and form was all we had I cannot relate How do I get to I cannot see past the one I return to Caught my form I'm sick I'm looking like all my friends an act I'm shaking my forms and tiles been took I'm weak and I know myself I'm shook and I'm faking it complicated ends what was it were we thinking I cannot defend was it up to us or up to chance I cannot relate How do I get to I cannot see past the one I return to Caught my form I'm sick I'm looking like all my friends an act I'm shaking my forms and tiles been took I'm weak and I know myself I'm shook and I'm faking it
6.
It's since you've gone that I've found you I'm feeling stuck and I can't free myself I feel the thoughts keep coming and I don't know what to do about it It's fading faster than I should admit I'm holding on to something that's been moving on to something else I had a moment but it's just a glimpse I see the light keeps glowing and I know just what to do about it It's been two years that it stays on the shelf I know I can't keep moving and I can't keep rolling and I can't keep folding and I can't keep holding and I can't keep going if it goes like this It's since you've gone that I've found you
7.
Isn't Love 04:00
I know this isn't real but it was real to me I know this isn't real Whatever happened to reason Doesn't it feel like it went wrong somewhere Under a season a violence Where is the window to look back and stare Preoccupation isn't love, isn't what you need Preoccupation isn't love, isn't what you needed
8.
Bob2 04:08
Someday you will find we're not as even Someday you will find we're not as even I'm focusing out I feel I'm too entitled to every undone I've bought up and settled and I know that I'm not but I thought I could be idle I focus in the light that is idle and I'm not where I am but I seem to be shadowed into by design I'll be wading and be coddled Someday you will find we're not as even Someday you will find we're not as even
9.
Velour 03:35 video
Don't think I'd stand around and just watch you I can't be second guessing what you do the feeling of nowhere a scene that you had to act don't think I can watch you fall needing to have to act and leading to nowhere this moment that has to pass beginning to watch you fall this feeling's about to end One second disconnecting's my next move What difference make it up as you want to the feeling of nowhere a scene that you had to act don't think I can watch you fall needing to have to act and leading to nowhere this moment that has to pass beginning to watch you fall this feeling's about to end can I get back isn't what you wanted before One look at you I know we have it Our eyes have met Right where they're staying
10.
OMD 03:19
Don't worry try and relax Your mind is empty You didn't get to take the photograph that you wanted You couldn't spend what you made You never asked to be haunted and I couldn't stand while you fall what wasted hours being honest I cover your hand with my heart You couldn't be father to all You didn't wake up from the dream So I let you go where you wanted You didn't wake up You didn't go alone, that's what you wanted

about

FAN was never supposed to exist.

After singer/guitarist Meric Long had spent a decade as one-half of indie rock duo the Dodos -- time that saw the release of several acclaimed albums (including, most notably, 2008’s Visiter) and tours the world over -- Long was compelled to put his band on pause following the passing of his father and subsequent birth of his first child, choosing instead to prioritize life over music.

But for a lifelong musician, it’s nearly impossible to separate the two for very long.

Ultimately, the catalyst that merged them together once more was two synthesizers Long inherited from his dad -- instruments he began playing in the purest sense of the word, with no particular purpose in mind other than the sheer enjoyment of seeing what kind of sounds he could make them produce.

Still grieving over the the loss of his parent, the time spent on a Yamaha AX60 and Realistic Concertmate MG-1 helped bridge the gulf of their abridged relationship.

Says Long, “I’ve had a lot of regret about not overcoming the space that existed between us. I would have liked to get to know him more. I think working with the synths he passed on was a way to continue the conversation.”

These extemporaneous sessions took place across a vast swath of time and space: two weeks spent completely alone in Galicia, Spain, at his mother-in-law’s cottage in the woods, a week holed up in a Portland basement during a blizzard, nights in a soundproofed Oakland garage (the titular “Barton’s Den,” after Long’s middle name) once his newborn daughter had gone to bed.

For Long, these periods of isolation became one of the defining factors in the creation of FAN’s debut full-length.

“It’s funny and surprising how that emerged as a theme over the course of making this record, especially the very real and profound type of cut-off you feel when you’re a new parent. Letting myself disappear shaped the album a lot because it allowed me to hit the reset button on my relationship to things.”

When a growing catalog of recordings eventually began to accumulate, Long began to seriously considering turning them into full-fledged songs at the urging of friend/producer John Askew (Neko Case, Wild Flag).

For a musician who had spent many years primarily playing guitar, the shift to writing with synthesizers was initially daunting.

Reveals Long, “I have such a specific approach to guitar, and have been doing it for so long that breaking away from that felt like a huge, scary leap.”

But the upside of stepping outside his comfort zone was the opportunity to finally embrace a wealth of childhood influences: Nintendo soundtracks, Devo, Brian Eno, Prince.

These musical touchstones are filtered through Long’s unique musical mind, as showcased on first single “Bob1,” a track that nods at Eno’s early solo work while simultaneously coating it with an unmistakably fresh veneer.

Elsewhere, “What a Mistake” is positively cinematic, a soundtrack to a future that transforms the familiar into something alluringly foreign, while “Velour” bares Long’s dancehall soul with a pulsing, upbeat melody that willfully stomps everything in its path.

Though Long initially had no intention of turning the electronic soundscapes he was creating in seclusion into actual songs -- much less a proper album -- listeners of Barton’s Den will undoubtedly be grateful he decided to share these intimate moments with the world.

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released May 4, 2018

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FAN Oakland, California

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